At least 14 people are killed by flash floods in the Turkish earthquake zone

Istanbul: At least 14 people living in tents and shipping containers were slain by flash floods in Turkey’s earthquake-ravaged region on Wednesday, increasing the pressure on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ahead of crucial elections.
Several more people were carried away by the rushing water that transformed roadways into muddy rivers in areas struck by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake last month, according to officials.

The February 6 catastrophe was the deadliest in the region’s modern history, with over 48,000 deaths in Turkey and nearly 6,000 in Syria.

Hundreds of thousands of Turkish earthquake survivors have been relocated to tents and shipping containers across 11 provinces in the country’s southeast.

Tuesday brought torrential rainfall, which the weather service predicts will continue until late Wednesday night.

Twelve persons were reportedly slain in Sanliurfa, approximately 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of the Syrian border, according to Turkish officials.

Two additional deaths, including a one-year-old, occurred in nearby Adiyaman, where five people are still missing.

Images depicted floodwaters washing away automobiles and inundating temporary lodging for earthquake victims.

In one viral video, a man in a taupe suit and tie clings to a piece of furniture while flowing downstream in a raging stream. His fate is currently unknown.

Other images showed people using branches and rope to drag victims from the water.

The office of the governor of Sanliurfa reported that inundation reached the ground floor of one of the region’s primary hospitals.

Pressure on Erdogan

Erdogan, who faces a challenging re-election on May 14, is facing a furious public backlash over his government’s stumbling response to the worst natural calamity of his two-decade reign.

Erdogan has issued multiple public apologies and emphasised that no nation could have responded swiftly to a calamity of this magnitude.

Erdogan has spent the last few weeks traversing the region, visiting with survivors and pledging to rebuild the entire region within a year.

“By the end of next year, we will build 319,000 dwellings,” Erdogan told his ruling party members on Wednesday in a parliamentary address.

“In addition to the search and rescue, emergency aid, and temporary shelter we have provided thus far, we have promised our nation that we will restore the earthquake-devastated communities within one year,” he said.

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Erdogan sent his interior minister to the inundated region to supervise the government’s response.

“Currently, we have 10 squads composed of 163 individuals doing search and rescue operations across a 25-kilometre stretch,” Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu told reporters.

“We also have divers. However, the weather conditions prevent us from doing much “he said.